Presented his paper, “Mandatory Contracting Remedies in the American and European Microsoft Cases,” at the conference on “The End of the Microsoft Case?,” sponsored by the Searle Center of Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago on Nov. 16.

Served as commentator in a panel on recent Supreme Court antitrust decisions at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association in New Orleans on Nov. 19.

UF Law Faculty in the News

Robert H. Jerry, II
Dean; Levin Mabie and Levin Professor

The Independent Florida Alligator, Nov. 16. Quoted in an article discussing the recent trend of declining applications for law schools and how the University of Florida has not been affected over the last two years. “It’s fair to say that our law school is increasingly a popular first-choice destination,” said Jerry who expects the number of applications to UF law school to continue to rise. “People who take a close look at the university and especially those taking a look at the law school realize we’ve got some pretty good things going on here.”

The St. Petersburg Times, Nov. 15. Mentioned as the legal advisor for House Speaker Marco Rubio, a gambling opponent who has Mills’ opinion that any compact is subject to lawmaker’s approval. Mills said legislative approval is required because table games permitted in the compact are illegal under Florida law.

Michael L. Seigel
Professor

The Washington Post, Nov. 18. Quoted in an article discussing the recent release from prison of Arthur Bremer, who in 1972 shot and paralyzed Democratic presidential candidate Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace in Laurel, Md. The article highlights other high-profile crimes of that era. “In general, there is an odd element of nostalgia that is attached to these crimes, especially for baby boomers,” says Michael Seigel. “It may be odd, but I do think that for many of us, it brings back memories of where we were, and what we were doing and how these events impacted our lives.” In discussing citizen’s fear of Bremmer’s release, Seigel said, “Most of the time, murder is not a recidivist crime. Unless someone is a mass murderer or a psychopath, they don’t do it again. Statistically speaking, if someone kills in a fit of passion, the odds of them murdering again is not high.” Public interest in the crimes is high, however, with a proliferation of such TV shows as “CSI” and “Law & Order,” which fuel the nation’s collective fascination, Seigel said. “Americans find crime, particularly homicide, as entertainment, which is unfortunate, but has become part of our culture.”

The Washington Post, Nov. 16. Quoted in an article that also referenced his newly published book, Privacy at Risk. The article, entitled “The Picture Of Conformity In a Watched Society, More Security Comes With Tempered Actions,” refers to the following passage from the book: “Anonymity in public promotes freedom of action and an open society. Lack of public anonymity promotes conformity and an oppressive society.” Furthermore, it discussed Slobogin’s opinion sample, which randomly selected 70 people from Florida jury pools and asked them to rank the level of intrusiveness of 25 law enforcement tactics, including several surveillance techniques. People “don’t expect to be stalked either by a person or by a camera—at least they don’t like it,” he said. “They expect to get lost in the crowd, or at least not to be monitored continuously.”

Published “The Place of Mindfulness in Healing and the Law,” in Shifting The Field of Law & Justice 99-120, Center for Law and Renewal (Linda Hager, Bonnie Allen & Renee Floyd Meyers, eds) (2007).

Made a panel presentation on “Accessing our Inner Awareness and Intentions to Improve Conflict Resolution Practice: The Practical Role of Inner Work” at the Association for Conflict Resolution Conference in Phoenix.

Gave a luncheon address on “Awareness and Ethics in Dispute Resolution” at a conference on Ethics in Dispute Resolution at South Texas College of Law.

Served as a commentator (by telephone) at a conference on Buddhism and Dialogue, sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

Elizabeth A. Rowe
Assistant Professor

Participated as a member of a panel at the International Trademark Association’s meeting in Orlando on November 9th on teaching trademark law.

UF Law Faculty in the News

Houston Chronicle, Nov. 9. Appeared in an article discussing his backing of legislative leaders who say any gambling deal with the Seminole Indians must have the Legislature’s approval. He prepared the opinion at the request of House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami. Rubio is against allowing the Seminoles to have anything more than Class III slots. The article concluded with Mills saying the federal law is silent on who should negotiate such compacts on behalf of states, but the Florida Constitution gives the Legislature, not the governor, the power to “make fundamental determinations of policy.”

Palm Beach Post, Nov. 15. Served as a Florida legal expert in an article about Gov. Charlie Crist signing an agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida today allowing the Indians to conduct Las Vegas-style slot machine gambling and card games, including blackjack, at the tribe’s seven casinos. Issued in a press release by House Speaker Marco Rubio, “Mills advised that any gambling compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe is invalid without legislative ratification.”

Tallahassee Democrat, Nov. 10. Quoted in the article discussing the racial composition of the jurors in the trial of eight former Bay County boot camp employees who were found not guilty of felony aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of Martin Lee Anderson, who died Jan. 6, 2006, one day after he was hit, kneed and his limp body dragged by drill instructors at the camp. Anderson was black; five defendants were white, two black and one Asian. When jury selection ended Sept. 26, no blacks were on the panel. Civil rights advocates say jury selection is a focus of an ongoing federal civil rights investigation. On whether a racially diverse jury have mattered, Nunn said, “People from different cultural backgrounds will interpret the video differently, depending on the race of people in the video. There is a cultural bias in all of us.”

Honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. Inman attended Carson-Newman College from 1986 to 1990 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management.

Appointed to Advisory Commission to the World Justice Project, American Bar Association (2007-08), a multidisciplinary and multinational initiative to foster human well-being by advancing the rule of law. Launched last year by the ABA, the project is one of the primary initiatives of ABA President William H. Neukom, a Seattle lawyer, and has received $1.75 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal is to form a multidisciplinary movement in which leaders from law, business, journalism, education, conservation and the environment, medicine and public health, and religion work together to advance the rule of law. Co-sponsors include the International Bar Association, the Union Internationale des Avocats, the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and the Inter-American Bar Association. Among the individuals who have given their endorsement and support are former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court and former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker and Warren Christopher.

UF Law Faculty in the News

Robert H. Jerry, II
Dean; Levin Mabie and Levin Professor

WCJB-Channel 20, Oct. 7. Discussed Personal Injury Protection (PIP) auto insurance coverage in a live news segment. On Oct. 1, Florida became the only state in the country that does not require drivers to carry personal injury protection insurance when they drive. Before Oct. 1, the law said every driver had to carry at least $10,000 in personal injury protection, which paid for medical bills no matter who caused the crash. Opponents of personal injury protection said it caused insurance fraud and cut car insurance bills. Drivers, who may now be forced to sue the other driver to pay for medical bills, disagree with the law. On Oct. 3 the Florida Legislature began a special session, and two days later lawmakers sent legisaltion to Gov. Charlie Crist to re-enact PIP, also known as no-fault insurance.

WRUF, Oct. 9. Interviewed on WRUF regarding the National Democratic Party’s stated intention to not count Florida’s votes in the primary due to their accelerated primary date. He said it was the Florida Legislature, not Florida Democrats, who were responsible for the date change, and that the national party was wrong in its actions.

Florida Trend, July 2007. Recognized as one of Florida’s top lawyers in the magazine’s 2007 Legal Elite list. The special report, developed from voting by Florida lawyers who are members of The Florida Bar, lists 868 honorees, including attorneys in private practice as well as prosecutors, in-house counsel, public-service attorneys and law school professors. Attorneys were asked to name the attorneys that they hold in highest regard as professionals—lawyers with whom they have personally worked and would recommend to others.

Michael Seigel
Professor

Criminal Law Reporter, Sept. 26. Quoted in article on a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on legislation that would limit federal prosecutors’ ability to pressure cooperation from companies under investigation for corporate fraud. The legislation would bar prosecutors from weighing a company’s willingness to waive its right to confidential communication with its lawyers when deciding to bring charges. Seigel, one of two law professors to speak against the legislation at the hearing, warned that the bill would “shift the balance of power back to the corporation,” leading companies to stonewall requests for investigation. “Companies will say, ‘we’ve given you all our unprivileged information. Now you can’t charge us.'”

The New York Times, Oct. 9. Quoted in an article about dismissing the case against a former federal prosecutor who was charged for having sex with a 5-year-old girl in Michigan after he committed suicide in his prison cell. “They have no choice,” said Seigel, adding that case dismissal is standard procedure when a defendant dies, even after conviction if the defendant has not exhausted his appeals. “We don’t charge people in absentia in this country. You can’t prosecute somebody who’s not, in effect, there to defend himself.”

Margaret Temple-Smith
Senior Legal Skills Professor

The Washington Post, Oct. 5. Her political site, Buck Naked Politics, was mentioned on Joel Achenboch’s blog, Achenblog, on The Washington Post website at http://blog.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/. Achenbach mentioned a note UF Law alum Deborah Cupples and Temple-Smith posted on a recent publication by the Government Accountability Office.